After an evidentiary hearing last week, America’s Frontline Doctors provided the following press release:

After nearly 3 years of relentlessly exposing corruption in the medical and government space, the Founder of America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) Dr. Simone Gold was compelled to direct her whistleblowing efforts within her own camp. Upon attempting to resume her leadership of AFLDS after a self-imposed leadership hiatus due to her J6 challenges and enduring a 2-month prison sentence related to a controversial J6 misdemeanor, she discovered a rogue Board member and attorney on her non-profit board of directors had been misappropriating funds for himself, more than $100,000, compromising key fundraising initiatives and enacting a hostile takeover in her absence by firing much of her executive staff based on false and deceptive claims.

Gold immediately investigated and provided extensive documentation of this theft and corruption to her board and outside counsel, recusing the culprit Joseph Gilbert from his position and urging the board to remove him. Instead, board member Richard Mack accepted a $20,000 payment offer from Board member Gilbert to “become CEO” and “replace Dr. Gold” and they then filed a lawsuit against Gold in federal court in Florida. Their complaint was full of demonstrably false and defamatory allegations and was subsequently dismissed by the Judge. Dr. Gold then filed a countersuit in Arizona against Gilbert and Mack. The AZ judge’s written statement following a recent court hearing exposes alarming deception and misconduct by both Gilbert and Mack. Gilbert publicly slandered Gold with accusations that she embezzled non-profit funds and purchased a private home and vehicles without Board knowledge or approval; but the court unequivocally determined this was doubly false—the assets were all purchased by the non-profit for legitimate business operations, and the board was completely aware and supportive from the beginning, starting with Gilbert himself, who in fact suggested and facilitated the purchases.

Further, Gilbert secretly pressured the AFLDS Treasurer to pay him additional monies above his already exorbitant salary. In this regard, the court stated “the pay increase was not handled properly and should not have occurred. A hallway conversation is not the proper way to increase a corporate officer’s pay. The manner in which Gilbert increased his pay does smell of self-dealing.” The court continued “Gilbert is apparently still being paid $20,000 per month from AFLDS. It is not at all clear why the company decided to pay Mack an additional $20,000 per year to be President. It is far from clear to the Court what Mack’s role in the company is. He does not appear to have any corporate managerial experience…paying Mack and Gilbert a total of $40,000 per month appears to the Court to be greatly excessive. Gilbert and Mack contend that they are in charge and control of the company. Yet, it has been on their watch that the company’s operations have spiraled into chaos.”

Indeed, instead of acknowledging his misconduct and participating in a sensible resolution when confronted by the AFLDS Executive Director and then by Dr. Gold, Gilbert retaliated by aggressively defaming Gold, corruptly using AFLDS resources to employ Richard Mack to attack Gold’s character, greatly harming the reputation of AFLDS and endangering its survival and future success. Gilbert admitted to Mack in writing that “Dr. Gold would be…correct in her critique that we are doing this just to spite her…”

In addition to pointing out these highly inappropriate and malicious acts by Gilbert and Mack, the court also confirmed the obvious facts that AFLDS was created by Dr. Gold, has been operated under her direction ever since, and only exists and succeeds due to her unique and extraordinary abilities, stating:

“Gold continues to have a substantial following from many of the employees of the company…Gold was allowed to continue to be heavily involved in AFLDS’s operations by the [Board of Directors]. The chaos that currently exists with this company has arisen, at least in part, due to Gilbert and Mack’s failure to adequately control the company…the Court seriously questions whether Gilbert and Mack have the skill sets to properly run this non-profit company. The Court is not convinced that Gold is causing irreparable injury to this company. In fact, Gold’s skill set appears to be critical to the survival of AFLDS.”

The litigation of this case is ongoing.  Dr. Gold has affirmed her commitment to AFLDS saying, “We are still operating normally as an organization, and the Court did not issue preliminary injunctive relief to either side, so I will continue to advance the AFLDS mission as we continue this lawsuit.”